Explore the Family Name Senior

The meaning of Senior

English: 1. from Middle English seignour ‘lord’ (Old French seignor), either for someone who was a lord (for example, of a manor), or perhaps a nickname for a peasant who emulated his lord. 2. distinguishing nickname for the elder of two bearers of the same personal name (for example, a father and son or two brothers), from Middle English, Latin senior ‘elder’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Senior in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Senior has seen a modest increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 8,782nd in popularity and had a count of 3,438 bearers. By 2010, its rank had improved to 8,518 with an increased count of 3,864 bearers, marking a growth rate of 12.39 percent. The proportion per 100k of people with this last name also rose by 3.15 percent, from 1.27 to 1.31.

20002010Change
Rank#8,782#8,5183.01%
Count3,4383,86412.39%
Proportion per 100k1.271.313.15%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Senior

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Senior also experienced shifts over the same decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, the largest ethnic group associated with the surname were Whites, comprising 58.99 percent of all bearers, followed by Blacks at 32.64 percent. However, by 2010, while these groups remained the largest, their proportions had slightly decreased to 53.75 percent for Whites and increased to 36.18 percent for Blacks. Interestingly, the Hispanic representation among bearers of the surname Senior grew significantly by 44.53 percent, from 5.21 percent to 7.53 percent. Meanwhile, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or Two or more races saw decreases in their proportions.

20002010Change
White58.99%53.75%-8.88%
Black32.64%36.18%10.85%
Hispanic5.21%7.53%44.53%
Two or More Races2.5%2.15%-14%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.26%0.21%-19.23%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.41%0.18%-56.1%

Senior ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Senior is British & Irish, which comprises 54.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (12.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (6.6%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Eastern European, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish54.1%
French & German12.8%
Spanish & Portuguese6.6%
Other26.5%
Senior

Possible origins of the surname Senior

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Senior have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom77.00%
Merseyside, United Kingdom77.00%
Greater London, United Kingdom77.00%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom77.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom77.00%

What Senior haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Senior is R-BY250, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-BY250 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include E-M78 and R-L23, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mercer, Blair, Kerr, Pierson, Blessing, Hollingsworth, Platt, Sabin, Fulcher, Mock.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Senior surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

seniorPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to Niall of the Nine Hostages

The spread of haplogroup R-M269 in northern Ireland and Scotland was likely aided by men like Niall of the Nine Hostages. Perhaps more myth than man, Niall of the Nine Hostages is said to have been a King of Tara in northwestern Ireland in the late 4th century C.E. His name comes from a tale of nine hostages that he held from the regions he ruled over. Though the legendary stories of his life may have been invented hundreds of years after he died, genetic evidence suggests that the Uí Néill dynasty, whose name means "descendants of Niall," did in fact trace back to just one man who bore a branch of haplogroup R-M269.The Uí Néill ruled to various degrees as kings of Ireland from the 7th to the 11th century C.E. In the highly patriarchal society of medieval Ireland, their status allowed them to have outsized numbers of children and spread their paternal lineage each generation. In fact, researchers have estimated that between 2 and 3 million men with roots in north-west Ireland are paternal-line descendants of Niall.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Senior have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Senior

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Senior" Surname 37.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Senior

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Senior" Surname 23.5%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Senior

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Senior" Surname 20.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Senior

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Senior" Surname 16.1%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Senior?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Senior are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%